Hope you enjoy this story please review if you do

Of course I don't own Dragon age.

Chapter 1

"Thank the maker for your timing Commander, you have saved the keep!" A soldier stood at attention as the Commander of the Grey Wardens stopped just in front of him, her bright blue eyes scanned the wounded solider in front of her.

"So what happened to the other Wardens again?" Her voice was sharp and still on edge as she kept on her guard.

"Dead or Taken my lady." He answered her uncomfortably shifting on his feet as a result.

"Go heal up Soldier." She dismissed effortlessly but warmth still surrounded her words.

A small sigh escaped her perfect red lips as she glanced down at her once newly polished armor now no more, Darkspawn blood spattered all over her, much to her annoyance. Vigil's Keep was suppose to be the new Grey Wardens 'base', she had been called on to recruit and train the new Wardens, but of course nothing went as planned and by the time she had reached the Keep, it was overrun by Darkspawn.

"Commander, you are needed to deal with some issues." Captain Garevel called over to the 'hero of Ferelden'.

"No rest for the wicked?" She joked casually turning towards the Captain as he reached her.

"My lady… Commander, there is a thief that took four Grey Wardens to catch; I hear you are needed to decided this thief's fate. Since the mage and the drunken Dwarf are recovering from the joining, would you mind?" He asked with a slight plead to his voice; it was one less task he had to do after all.

"Take me too him then." She replied swiftly as he bowed his head at her before leading the way.

He led her down the rickety old wooden stairs towards the dungeon below; she could feel it get colder the more underground they went as the strong stone walls stood intimidating. They reached the bottom floor as a lone cell took up half of the room, her eyes set on the single man sitting on the ground, back against the wall.

"Leave me with him." Her voice was so angelic which matched the way she looked perfectly, Alistair often joked that she could bring any man to his knees.

"Yes Commander." Captain Garevel nodded as he, along with the two soldiers guarding the cell, exited the area.

"Well, well if it isn't the murdering Warden herself." His voice was like poison as his eyes glared down the girl in front of the cell.

"Arianna." Was her simple reply, she fearlessly swung open the large steel doors of the cage just before slowly entering.

"Well if we are introducing ourselves my name is Nathaniel Howe, son of Rendon Howe, the man you murdered." He spoke with much spite in his voice as he stared her down.

"You're father had murdered my family and attempted to kill, at the time, Queen Anora." Arianna spoke with such grace and elegance, clearly not intimidated by this man at all.

"Hah, I guess I'd suspected you'd lie." Nathaniel spat back at her as she effortlessly rolled her bright, crystal blue eyes.

"Believe what you will for now Nathaniel, but I have decided what to do with you." She replied simply turning on her heels and exiting the cell.

"I was only here to reclaim my things! It's hardly theft if the castle was yours!" He called out after her, almost desperately as she left the room.

No more then two minutes later Arianna had returned with the men that had left the room earlier, on either side of her, her long, light brown hair dangled loosely in it's place as it reached just under her shoulder blades in length, her soft pale skin complemented her beautiful bright crystal blue eyes and she was skinny.

"What do you wish to do with him, Commander?" Captain Garevel asked curiously taking a glance at her as he did so.

"He will go through the joining to become a Grey Warden." Arianna stated plainly, but by seeing his face she couldn't help but silently laugh.

"What?" The Captain and Nathaniel asked in unison, both with a surprised tone.

"Kill me instead. I demand it." Nathaniel added angrily but she could tell her didn't mean that at all.

"Get over it Nathaniel Howe, it is better then dying isn't it?" Arianna hissed almost playfully as she enthused on his last name.

"He's a Howe? He could turn on you Commander." Captain Garevel's voice was a little shocked.

"He's right once I'm free and a Grey Warden there is nothing stopping me from killing you, do you really want to travel with someone who wants you dead? And also-"

"Nonsense, some of my best friends wanted me dead. Besides who says you can survive the joining anyway?" She interrupted promptly taking little care of what his intentions could be.

"Hm… Fine then." He sighed out in defeat, hanging his head as he did so.

"I'll leave you too it Captain, I have to go check on Anders and Oghren." Arianna spoke swiftly while she was already making her way back up the stairs.

"You're lucky Howe, the Commander is too kind." Captain Garevel scoffed at the thief in front of him before angrily leading him out of the cells.

"How do you feel Oghren, my dear friend?" Arianna cooed as she entered the elegant room that housed both the recovering men.

"Ah like some nugs got the best of me." Oghren grunted unhappily, lying flat on his back.

"How about you, Anders?" She asked turning her head slightly to look at the enchanting mage.

"It's already better then being back at the tower!" He hummed happily, turning to grin at her.

"Well I'm glad you both survived." She grinned at the two of them, getting a grunt from Oghren in return.

"Say, Commander… How's you and that nug-licker?" Oghren grunted from his bed, still unable to move properly.

"I presume you mean the King, Oghren." Arianna replied quite amused gracefully making her way towards Oghren's bed.

"Eh pansy of a boy." He grunted but his ears rung happily when he heard Arianna laugh.

"We are just fine thank you, Oghren, dealing with boring stuff really, why do you think I took the job of Commander? It was a little boring back home." She said just before sitting down on Oghren's bed, just next to him.

"Ah a true warrior at heart, aye Commander." He snorted taking a glance back at her.

"I happen to think it part of my charm. You know you didn't have to drink the whole –"

The door swung open causing Arianna to stop talking, two guards walked in holding up Nathaniel who bobbed around sloppily in their arms, they roughly pulled him into the room before dropping him onto the ground just inside the room.

"Captain said to tell you the thief survived." The guard on the left spoke first, saluting at Arianna.

"How interesting." Arianna replied staring down at the man they had dropped in.

"Is that all, Commander?" The other man asked quietly, unsure of his boundaries.

"Yes, thank you good Sirs, here four sovereigns for each of you for your services." Arianna spoke sweetly taking out the sovereigns and placing them in the guards' hands.

"Oh thank you my Lady!" The first one spoke bowing his head to her, backing out the door pulling the second along with him.

"Argh, too kind, if I was you 'my lady' I would have knocked those nug-munches back into their place for not kissing the ground I walk on!" He seemed to roar it out as Arianna couldn't help but let out another laugh.

"Need Alcohol my good friend?" She cooed back to him gently.

Oghren grumbled something back to her but she didn't take much notice, instead she knelt down next to Nathaniel and smiled softly at him, she knew he didn't remember her but it was okay for now.

"What happened?" He mumbled from the ground, groaning as he turned himself onto his back.

"Congratulations Nathaniel Howe, you are a Grey Warden." She winked teasingly at him as she looked down at him.

"Great that means I need to follow you around?" He hissed back in return, glaring up at her as he did so.

"Calm down brown cow." She shot him a smile, hoping that he would remember at least that.

"… Arianna Cousland?" He asked with confusion all over his face.

"Howe now brown cow." She replied giving him a small laugh, it was so angelic.

"I can't believe I didn't put two and two together." He said suddenly staring up at his childhood crush. "How could you kill my father…?"

"Nath… It's a little more complicated then that." She replied uneasily rubbing the back of her neck.

"He was just on the wrong side, you defiled our family name and stripped the castle from us, and I thought … no you're still a murderer." His voice was cold and full of anger as he turned his face away from her.

"Say Commander, you haven't spoken to me too much, how about I buy you a drink before we get on our way?" Anders asked suddenly, causing Arianna to turn her glance to him.

"That sounds lovely, Oghren you want a drink?" She lightly teased before taking one last glance at Nathaniel, sadness filled her eyes.
"Drinks?!" Oghren yelled excitedly as he threw himself off the bed.

"Man and I was hoping it would just be the two of us." Anders whined out loud, sighing in defeat as the proudly known 'drunken dwarf' laughed behind him.

"I hope you will learn the truth soon Nath." She whispered almost so it wasn't auditable he didn't reply so that was her queue to leave.

Arianna took her seat gracefully across from the already drinking dwarf and the enchanting flirt of a mage; she couldn't help but let out a small charming laugh at the two boys.

"So! Arianna!" That was a little out of Oghren's nature to call her by her first name. "What's with you and that pathetic excuse for a thief in there?""

"Before his father slaughtered my family you mean? We use to be childhood friends." Arianna replied a little uncomfortably as Anders passed her a drink.

"Shut up and drink you drunk! I want to talk to her." Anders whined once again, Arianna got the impression he was enjoying his freedom from the circle.

"Nugmucher!" Oghren scoffed just before downing his ale and slamming it onto the tables' service.

"Was he always like this?" Anders asked turning his eyes back onto Arianna as he watched her chuckle lightly.

"Oh yes, I remember when we were at camp one time, back when the blight was about, he was so drunk that he was convinced Zodiac took his pants-"

"That bloody mutt! Where is it?" Oghren interrupted causing the two of them to jump in surprise, he wasn't drunk enough to be not paying attention.

"Zodiac was a dog?" Anders questioned taking a sip of his alcoholic beverage.

"My Mabari, prissy was too happy being a prince puppy that he refused to leave with me." She joked lightly as she stared down at the drink in front of her.

"What about the story, my lovely lady?" Anders questioned flirtatiously, taking another sip of his drink.

"Oh, right, ha he was convinced Zodiac had stolen his pants so he was yelling and cursing, then I told him he was warning his pants, then he started laughing about 'asscrabs' I was stupid though, every alcohol drink I found along the way I gifted to him." She let out another elegant laugh enchanting both the males into staring at her; there was no denying, she truly was beautiful.

They went late into the night talking and drinking, Oghren had challenged Anders into a drinking game and of course, Anders passed out after the fifteenth drink, Arianna gave him credit for making it that far though, he then challenged her to drink him, but to Oghren's surprise she was still going after her thirty-third drink.

"Wh…who knew you could drink like that!" Oghren stumbled out raising a glass to his Commander.

"I…if I wasn't so 'important' as…as everyone says… I don't know." She sighed hopelessly watching the world spin around her.

"Ah! Nugs." Oghren shouted out causing Arianna to laugh.

"Argh." Anders grumbled from the ground as he opened his eyes slowly.

"Gee Anders… You alive?" Arianna couldn't help but to laugh as she looked down at the mage sprawled out on the floor.

"I think so my good lady." Anders replied sobering up just enough to stop his head from spinning.

"We… we should be reshting for our new misshion… not drinking… cheap beer." Arianna stated as her words slurred a little, she had to admit to herself that she wouldn't had started drinking if she didn't feel guilty for Nathaniel.

Did she really have to kill Rendon Howe? Was there something else she could have done? These were the things running through her hear that caused her to drink.

"I'm at my best when I'm drunk!" Oghren joked as he downed another two cheap beers, burping promptly once he finished.

"So you're married right?" Anders grumbled from his position on the floor, in no mood to change this.

"To king what's-his-face!" Oghren grunted from the other side of the table, chiming into the conversation once again.

"Alistair. Yesh." Arianna nodded taking a glance down at Anders.

"What a shame." He murmured from the ground, letting out a long sigh as he did so.

"Yesh… Well I think I should head to bed now boysh… you… you should too." Arianna stumbled to her feet as she only just managed to get the words out to them.

"Good drinkin' Commander!" Oghren bellowed out to her just before she exited the inn.

She waved her hand effortlessly as she stumbled out of the inn, really professional she kept saying to herself over and over again as she attempted to get back to her room.

"I don't feel so good." She sighed out to herself; she laid herself down on the dirt surface that covered most of the keep.

Nathaniel's POV

I can't believe she made me join the Grey Wardens, she made me follow her around doing good deeds for the people who now look down upon my family; I glanced around the room and noticed it was empty, there were two males that took her out for drinks, were they still not back yet?

"How are you still going?" It was that mage's voice, seems like I spoke too soon.

"Real men never stop!" The other males voice laughed out loudly, made me cringe.

They burst through the door reeking of cheap beer from the crappy little inn we had right next to the keep, she wasn't with them though. They both looked at me like I was some kind of wanted criminal.

"It's… you." The silly mage slurred out as he stumbled into the room.

"And who am I?" I asked sitting on this so called 'bed', it was horribly uncomfortable.

"A nug-licker!" The dwarf yelled while laughing just before passing out onto the bed closest to him.

"That dude that the Commander couldn't stop talking about." The mage answered over the top of the dwarf flopping himself down onto the bed next to mine she was talking about me?

"Where is the Commander?" I sighed out eyeing the mage as I did so.

"I don't know… she stumbled out before we did." I rolled my eyes as I watched the stupid mage fall asleep, if she was anything like she used to be she was out in the cold somewhere, on the ground.

I pushed myself up off the bed and silently made my way towards the door; the two bumbling oafs had passed out so I didn't really need to be silent. I pushed the door open as I felt the cold night wind against my skin, I made my way outside as I sighed remembering back when Arianna and I were sixteen, she had found a bottle of her fathers finest wine and opened it for the two of us, that being said she had drunk over half the bottle herself and passed out somewhere after we had said our goodnights.

Sure enough I had spotted her; she was lying on the dirt road that led into Vigil's keep alone and unattended, that was great for someone like 'her'.

"Arianna." I sighed out as I reached her, how could she have killed my father? What ever happened to jail these days.

"N…teddy." I sighed once more hearing her use her pet name for me when we were kids.

"Why are you out here at this hour?" I asked a little annoyed at the fact I still felt that need to care about her.

"Oghren… he shure can drink." She giggled, clearly still drunk as I rolled my eyes at her, but she was still so beautiful.

"As much as I hate you right now I can't let you stay here." I growled bending down and scooping her up in my arms, she was still as light as a feather.

"You know… before you're father turned on ush… he was over … he… shaid that… Thomas had ashked for my hand… he never once mentioned you…" She spoke quietly as I carried her too her room, she rested her head against my chest and it brought too many memories of her… us.

"My father was a great man." I replied bitterly wanting to just drop her and this whole Grey Warden stuff and leave.

I heard no replied and when I looked down I had realized why, she was asleep on me and I growled in frustration, my whole family was gone from the war, that stupid war before the blight, it destroyed us. I placed her onto her overly extravagant bed and I couldn't help but stare, even just for a moment, man she was everything I remembered her to be, smart, funny, beautiful, enchanting, a skilled fighter and terribly bad at following rules.

I returned to my 'quarters' I suppose you could call it with my two 'room mates' still passed out where they had been when I left. I collapsed onto my bed; I couldn't help but think about her and what we use to be…

"Can you believe how amazing she is?" Thomas asked me as we both stood in the stands that surrounded the arena.

"She's a bit too old for you Tom." I replied a little jealous as I watched her move with her blades so elegantly.

"Maybe, but you're a bit too old for her yourself." He snapped defensively back as I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Maybe she likes them older?" I teased back at him, knowing I had hit a nerve.

"Maybe you two should stop talking about my sister that way." Fergus Cousland's voice filled our ears from behind us, causing us both to jump in surprise.

"Sorry!" Thomas caved straight away as I let out a laugh.

"Don't you laugh Nathaniel; I've seen how much time the two of you spend together." Fergus was doing his 'big brother' routine as he strolled over to us.

"We are good friends." I replied causally, if I showed weakness now he wouldn't think I was good enough for her.

"Seems like you want a little more then that?" He questioned as he came to a stop just in front of me.

"Dear brother, I don't believe I have interrogated Oriana yet, that could easily change." Her enchanting voice broke through the interrogation that Fergus had me under, I turned to look at her sitting on the wall that separated the stands from the area, she gave me that incredible smile of hers as I think I gave a goofy smile back at her.

"You are indeed a handful little sister, getting amazing with you're blades I see."

"We are supposed to be getting up." I heard a voice call out, pulling me out of my dreams.

"Ah nugs." The dwarf grunted from his bed as I rolled over to take a look for myself.

"Commander is waiting for us apparently." The mage… Anders I think it was called out, I rolled my eyes, that girl could get as drunk as a bat but be up by sunrise the next day.

"I have been waiting for you actually." Her voice chimed into the room as the door banged open.

"Hell Commander, burst in why don't ya."

"We orders to go to Amaranthine, Oghren and they asked as to go now." She interrupted the dwarf from his rant. "I also have found someone you might know Nathaniel, and you to Anders."

"What about me?" Oghren grunted he seemed to always want to be involved in whatever she was doing.

"I know where you're wife is if you want to go to her." She replied sharply getting a snort in reply.

"You? You have a wife?" Anders asked in disbelieve as I heard Arianna's amazing laugh come from her lips, I needed to stop thinking about her this way!

"She's a lovely woman, but get ready we leave in ten minutes." Although she was ordering us to do something, it didn't seem like she was.

I mumbled while getting dressed into my armor, it was weird being back in my armor that was for sure, I had gotten out the door when I noticed her standing with her back towards me, her hair blew gently in the wind and I felt my feelings flood back in, but I couldn't. She murdered my father.

"What did you want?" I growled from behind her causing her to turn to face me.

"I spoke to your old grounds keeper, Delilah is still alive." She answered softly looking into my eyes as I looked back into her stunning bright blue ones.

"Delilah…. Alive?" I repeated almost unable to believe her.

"She is in Amaranthine, so I hear." She replied refusing to break eye contact with me.

"Can… Can we go to her?" I asked not wanting to get my hopes up too high.

"Of course, she was my best friend you know… other then you…" I barely caught the last part of what she had said it was so quiet that I only just worked it out.

I went to say something else but Anders and Oghren busted out of the room and next to me, she spoke with Anders a bit before passing him a stupid kitten, oh and he wanted to keep it, great. I sighed as my eyes watched her talking, smiling and then lead us as we set of for Amaranthine.

I can't believe what my sister had told me about my father and how truly corrupt he had become in the end, I hadn't known this because I had left home when I was twenty two. We had decided to stay in an Amaranthine inn for the night because Ari had something to do in the morning around here, with the lead guard in the city. I had spent most of the afternoon with my sister and her husband, who seemed to love her more then anything, Delilah had asked how Arianna was doing, how I was doing and what being a Grey Warden was like, I couldn't quite explain the last one though because I had only been a Grey Warden for less then two days.

"Delilah can I ask you something?" I questioned my sister as I sat across the table from her.

"Yes dear brother." She hummed back happily looking back at me.

"How… How much did I actually love her back then?" I felt stupid asking, even thinking about her that way again made me sigh out loud.

"Ari? Ha, dear brother you were going to ask her to marry you." She replied giving me a little shock as she did.

"I what?" I what?

"Yes… I remember you telling me you were going to ask her… Then you just went off to Free Marches." Delilah informed me taking my cup from the table over to wash it. "How could you forget?"

"I don't even know." I sighed in reply; I guess I was too angry with everything that happened.

"She's married to the king now though." Delilah's voice was low as I felt my heart skink.

"Yeah, Alistair isn't it?" I sighed back hopelessly, I saw Delilah nod her head with that silly sad look on her face.

"Well I better get going, I'll come visit again when we are in Amaranthine next." I added before getting to my feet.

"She still cares about you; I can see it with the way she looks at you." She called out as I made my way to the door.

"I can't help it but I still love her…"